Post-spade



G. W. FELTON.

POST SPADE.

/FIL?CAT'(T-N FILED OCT. 20. 1917.

aIBIltPd J 11116 17 1919 s e a in.

GEORGE W. FELTON, OF ELM SPRINGS, SOUTI-I DAKOTA.

POSTrSPADE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1'7, 1919.

Application filed October 26, 1917. Serial No. 138,656.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. Fn'LToN;

a citizen of the United States, residing at Elm Springs, in the county of Meade and State of South Dakota, have invented certziin new and useful Improvements in Post- Spades; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

tool which is particularly designed for digging post holes and the primary object of the invention is to provide a spade which may be driven into theground, by the use of a sledge hammer, maul or the like, and after it has been driven into the ground, turned about a circle, forcntting out a piece of soil to form a post ,hole into which apointed post may be driven orI-a bluntend post tamped.

More specifically, the object of this invention is to provide a spade or tool as specified which includes a blade that is arcuate in cross section and has one edge sharpened to form a support for the dirt, thereby facilitating the removal of the dirt from the hole.

With the foregoing and other objects inv View this invention consists in such'novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter inore fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference .will be had to the accon'ipanying drawings wherein like characters designate like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved tool showing the same inserted in the ground,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the tool,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 34. of Fig. 1,

This invention relates'to a spade or'to Fig. 4: is a fragmentary vertical section showing the dirt lifter-in an operative posi tion,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of the post spade, and

, Fig. 6 is a section 'on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates the post spade as an entirety, which is preferably formed ofa single' sheet of metal, and has a blade 2, upwardly from the upper end of which a shank 3 projects. The shank 3 has an eye 4'formed upon its upper end to receivea bar 5. The)- bar 5 is provided for facilitating the turning of the spade after it has been inserted into the ground.

The blade 2 of the spade is arcuate in cross section, and one has its edge 6 sharpened while its opposite edge 7- is rolled. The sharpened edge 6 is provided for cutting the soil or dirt as the tool or spade is rotated, and the rolled edge 7 loosens the dirt, in such a mannerthat it may be easily removed from the hole when the spade is moved outwardly. The preferred form of the spade is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4:, the blade has its sides tapering, inwardly or converging, as they extend downwardly to provide substantially triangularly shaped inserting plate which is driven into the ground. The substantially triangularly shaped plate, will cut a conical hole in the groun'd,-into; which a pointed post may be driven and it will also facilitate the removal of the dirt from the hole, in that when the spade is pulled upwardly, the dirt will not rub on the sides of the hole, and therefore will not fall or rub off the spade, owing to the fact that the hole increases in size or diameter as it extends upwardly.

A dirt lifter 10 is carried by the blade 2 near its lower pointed end'll. This lifter comprises a plate which has its innerend rolled as shown at 12 to forin an eye which is loosely mounted in a pocket 13 formed in the blade 2. A portion of the blade is partly severed and forms a pocket or sleeve 13 for the reception of. the eye 12. The forward end of the member 13 extends beneath the lifter 10 and functions as a stop elen'lent. The upper or free end of the plate 10 is curved outwardly, as shown at 1 1-, so that when the spade is moved-upwardly,.the dirt will engage the upper outwardly curved end of the plate 10 and move this platedown wardly into a horizontal dirt supporting position.

In Figs. 5 and 6, a modified form of the invention is illustrated. This modified form comprises a shank which has its lower end forked, forming arms 21 and 22. Blades 23 and 2 t are connected to the lower ends of the arms 21 and 22. The blades 23 and- 2e are arcuate in cross section and each has one vertical'edge 25 sharpened for cutting the dirt while the edges 26 are rolled for loosening the dirt during the rotation of the modified form of the spade. The side edges of the blades 23 and 24 are substantially straight, so that when the spade is driven into the ground, it will cut a cylindrlcal hole; into which a blunt pole may be set. The blades 23 and 24: have di'rt supporting blades 27 carried thereby which are identical in construction to the plates lO.

and the free edges of which lie in close proximity to each other when in horizontal dirt lifting position, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A s'p'ade comprising a blade; a shank extending from the blade; a dirt removing plate' pivotallycarried by the blade; and a stop element carried by the blade and adapted to contact with the dirt removing plate.

2. A extending from the blade; a horizontally pivoted dirt removing element secured to the forward portion'of the blade, said dirt spade comprising, a blade; a shank motto"? removing element having its forward end portion thereof angularly disposed, whereby the upward movement of the blade will cause the dirt removing element to assume a henzontal position; and a stop element carried by the blade.

3. A spade comprising,'a blade; a shank extending from the blade; the forward portion of said blade having a transversely extending pocket therein; a dirt removing element having itsrear end portion rolled and arranged in said transversely extending blade; said dirt removing element being adaptedto be disposed in a vertical posi-. tion upon the loosening of the dirt and adapted to assume a horizontal position upon the lifting of the blade; and a stop element carried by the blade and adapted to support the dirt removing element in a. horizontal position upon the removal of the blade.

In testimony whereof I afiixmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. FELTON.

Witnesses:

G. A. BAILEY, CLYDE MCCAIN. 

